Credit Card Leaders: Visa and American Express

When it came to getting a credit card, millions of consumers all over the world chose Visa cards, which allows them to manage their finances in a better way, while enabling them to choose a system of payment for their purchases, either in increments over time or at the end of each month. Visa cardholders are offered the opportunity to pay for their purchases in the manner and at the time that work best for them.

Getting a Visa card can only be possible after you have contacted one of the banks that issue Visa cards. The good news is that the Visa cards are so widely spread all over the world that chances are you’ll find such an organization quite close to you.

The types of cards offered by Visa through its issuing members are credit cards, debit cards and prepaid cards.

With a Visa debit card, the customer can have access to his/her money regardless of their location as long as they see a Visa symbol. The money is deducted from their balance, with no interest. There are many advantages to using a card, such as saving the trip to the bank or the need to queue up for a cash dispenser, or being safer than carrying money. When you lose money, it’s gone forever. However, if you should happen to lose your Visa card, it can be stopped as soon as it has been declared lost or stolen, and be replaced afterwards.

The are several types of Visa debit cards, including Visa Electron, most popular in Central and Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East and ideal for a wide range of customers as it has in-built security features; Visa Classic, designed for those who use their cards everywhere, be it the real world, the Internet or by telephone; Visa Gold, whose most important benefit is that your card or cash, or both of them, can be replaced, should it be lost or stolen; and Visa Platinum, designed for high-spenders who can enjoy its top-level services.

Visa prepaid cards allow consumers to control spending, as well as to send money home, pay for their trips, teach their children money management, or even give it as a gift.

With Visa credit cards customers are offered a whole new world of possibilities, being exceptionally reliable and convenient.

Another company best known for its businesses with credit cards, charge cards and traveler’s cheques is American Express, or ‘Amex’.

American Express issues a great variety of credit cards, each with specific benefits, so as to please and meet the needs of all their customers. Consumers can choose from the American Express Card, America Express Gold Card, Rewards Plus Gold Card, Platinum Card, Blue form American Express, and so forth. The remarkable benefits of the American Express credit cards include personal service and attention at an exceptional level, use membership points for traveling, shopping and entertainment, access to entertainment events, special travel privileges, and many more.

The American Express Gift Cards have special offers from participating merchants and retailers all over the nation. The American Express Gift Cards can be purchased for any occasion, and in an easy manner, as they are available online.
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More Hybrid Cars For Rental Fleets Say Travelers

Priceline.com is yet another online source for automotive tidbits and as a part of Earth Day which happens this April 22nd, the group has already done a survey. This new study has focused more on consumers of rental car companies and what they have been aiming to find out is what kind of vehicles do these consumers really want to see as part of rental fleets.

After the survey was done and all the statistics were evaluated, priceline.com was able to find out that 72 percent of all respondents said that they would like to find rental car companies who do offer hybrid vehicles which are not only economical but would be friendly to the environment. Of course, this group also did say that they would like to find hybrid vehicles that run on both electricity and gasoline.

Of the 764 consumers who took part of priceline.com’s study, 71 percent did also state that they are very much willing to rent out a hybrid vehicle especially if they would be traveling to other states. A good 48% of the total respondents did also disclose that even if they would have to shell out for a premium payment for the hybrid, they would gladly do so.

It is of course a reality that there are quite a few hybrid vehicle models available through most of the country’s rental car companies. And because of such, there would be a higher demand for the vehicles though the supply may be quite low. And as according to the study, more consumers would even be willing to shell out an additional $1 to $3 per day on the rent of the vehicle and it would mean that it would also more and more consumers are thus inclined to greener vehicles rather than ordinary vehicles like the Honda Civic or the Ridgeline which comes equipped with the Honda cold air intake. Although this may be so, there is a small amount of consumers, amounting to eight percent of the total, who did mention that they are even willing to shell out $4 to even $6 per day of renting out a hybrid.

Ford expands operations in China

Ford manufacturer of Ford mufflers has recently made several strategic announcements that will support its forward-moving business direction in China focusing on the company’s rapidly expanding presence and increasingly competitive position in the world’s second largest automotive market.

On a formal press conference held at the Ford stand, Mei Wei Cheng, Vice President of Ford Motor Company and Chairman & CEO of Ford Motor China announced the following:

1. The official start of volume production at the Changan Ford Mazda Engine Company would begin very soon.

2. The production at the new Nanjing facility, Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Company (CFMA) will commence before the end of this year.

3. The third generation Ford Mondeo will start production at Changan Ford Mazda Autombile’s Chongqing plant later this year.

4. An all-new Ford small car is to be produced at the Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Company Nanjing plant in 2008.

Moreover, Cheng referred to Ford Motor Research & Engineering (Nanjing) Co. Ltd. in his speech, which received government approval last March for its role as an integral part of Ford Motor Company’s global research & design. Cheng said that this new operation will boost Ford China’s local engineering capabilities as well as strengthening the sourcing capability for manufacturing in China and at the same time support Ford Motors global manufacturing.

According to Mr. Cheng, “These collective announcements underscore Ford Motor's commitment to the China market and China's growing importance to our overall global strategy. Ford Motor China now encompasses one of the most comprehensive and competitive operations in the Chinese market, including full-scale vehicle and engine production; research, development and engineering; sales; aftersales services; and auto financing. Our local partnerships and the smooth implementation of our China strategy have greatly contributed to Ford becoming a leader of China’s automobile market. Ford's complete line up of cars in China now includes premiere and mid-size vehicles, small cars, SAVs, SUVs, and commercial vehicles."

The sleek, third generation Ford Mondeo and recipient of quality Ford muffler was used in the latest James Bond movie “Casino Royale” which showcase Ford’s special European kinetic design language and world class technology. It follows the path of the S-MAX which was chosen as the ‘Car of the Year for 2007’ and to become the next Ford model to be produced in China.

Mr. Cheng said “Our hugely successful European products have also proven to be very popular among Chinese consumers. From the hot selling Focus to the eye-catching S-MAX, and now the sleek Mondeo, Ford will continue to introduce our latest auto design engineering concepts to the China market. This will be supported by our renowned professional sales and aftersales services, as well as our creative ‘Make Every Day Exciting’ brand campaign."

Ford Motor Company and its five affiliated brands are showcasing 53 exciting vehicles at its Auto Shanghai 2007 stand. For its third generation Mondeo, Ford will showcase its kinetic design language with the sculpted iosis X sports crossover concept together with the CFMA produced S-Max, and C-Max, which is making its very first China debut.

The very popular Ford Focus lineup will also be featured on the Ford stand with the 2007 Focus, the European-imported Focus ST, Focus China Circuit Championship Racing Car, and the 2006 Focus RS ‘World Rally car’. Ford Motor Company and the CFMA have become one of the leaders in China’s growing auto industry with an impressive 86.6 percent increase in China market sales for 2006 which is far ahead of the overall industry average. The CFMA’s first quarter sales have totaled 38,908 units or 40.8 percent increase over the same period a year ago.

Car Buying VS Car Leasing

When it is time to shop for a new car there are many things to take into consideration. One of the biggest decisions is whether you should choose car leasing or car buying. There are many fundamental differences between the two.

To help make your decision easier the following is a list of those differences:

- At the end of the car loan term you will own a car if you opted to buy. At the end of the car lease term you return the car to the dealer and are left with nothing.

- A car loan term is usually four to six years. A car lease term is typically two to four years.

- Monthly car loan payments are generally higher than car leasing payments. This is because you are only really only paying for the car’s depreciation during the car lease term plus interest, taxes and service fees.

- Most car leases limit the amount of mileage you can put on the vehicle. If you plan on traveling a great deal you will have to consider negotiating a higher mileage limit. This will mean slightly higher monthly payments. If you exceed the limit you will be required to pay a charge of between 10 to 15 cents per mile. If you choose to buy the vehicle this is not an issue.

- When leasing a car there are limits to the amount of wear you can cause to the vehicle. Excessive wear will result in extra charges. If you buy you can do what ever you want to your car.

- If you terminate a car lease before the term is over there usually is a charge. In the case of car buying if you buy out the remainder before the car loan term is up you are usually charged a fee as well.

- The up front costs of car leasing include first month’s auto lease payments, a refundable deposit, a capitalized cost reduction( similar to a down payment), taxes and service fees. The up front costs of car buying include a down payment, taxes, registration and other service fees.

- At the end of the car lease term you have to pay any charges for excess wear and mileage then you can either walk away or buy out the car. When you reach the end of the car loan term you have no further payments and you walk away with your car.

Consider all these differences before coming to a decision on whether to buy or lease your next vehicle. Your choice will effect quite a lot over the loan or lease term including your monthly auto loan payments as well as what you can do to your vehicle to a certain extent. If you know what your long term goals are it will allow you to select the right option for your next car.

For more information you can visit http://www.findacarlive.com.

Holiday Rentals And Vacation Homes in Rome

All roads lead to Rome, and not without serious reasons. No travelogue is complete without a chapter on Rome. The city that has been the epicenter of renaissance, capital of world’s one of the largest empires, home to Julius Caesar and is the traveler’s ultimate destination. And Rome vacation rentals are the easiest way to know the true spirit of Rome.

If you plan to visit Rome or other numerous attractions of Italy, you will find a lot of pre-planned package options. But these holiday/travel packages may not always be the best/cheapest of the options. With a little research and a little planning, you can save a lot of money of yours without compromising on the quality aspect. A little search in the internet will give a lot of cheaper eating, lodging and transportation options in Italy.

Atypical to any major travel destination, Rome has a plethora of options as far as lodging is concerned. Lodging options spanning the entire budget range is scattered all over Rome. Vacation rentals, rental homes, luxurious hotels, resorts, bed and breakfast, rental flats- you think it and Rome has it. Based on your budget and holiday interest, you have the option of choosing among a plethora of lodging options like vacation rentals, hotels, resorts and apartment rentals.

Vacation rental is the process of renting out fully furnished flat or house temporarily to tourists. While in hotels or resorts which charge per person per day, vacation rentals or rental flats have a set price for an entire holiday period, sometimes with a limitation on the maximum number of guests allowed.

Rome vacation rentals have some inherent advantages over hotels and resorts. First and foremost, you save money; a lot of money if you are traveling with your family or with a group. In some cases, if you choose Rome Vacation rentals, the quantum of savings is as much as 60%. Use that money to treat yourself and your family or friends some extra, quality time at some authentic Italian restaurant.

Apart from the price factor, Rome vacation rentals give you the authentic, down to earth feeling of being in Rome. Rome is indeed about the magnificent colosseum, the Vatican City, the Bocca della Verita and many more. But, Rome is also about getting to know the spirit of Rome, its people, its culture, its ethos. A hotel, or a resort, inspite of best efforts offers an artificial atmosphere and do not match Rome vacation rentals. Rome vacation rentals and rental apartments is probably the best way of exploring and enjoying the true self of Rome.

Rome vacation rentals also offer you the chance to be different from the hoards of tourists flocking to Rome. While a hotel are mundane, Rome vacation rentals represent individuality. Rome vacation rental also offers you the feeling of staying at a home away from home.

What is more satisfying than having a cup of herbal tea at your home after a day of exploring Rome and its rich heritage? If your answer is, nothing, then Rome vacation rental is what you are looking for. Each Italy appartment rental listing on Vacation Rental Listing includes detailed descriptions and pictures.

THE FUTURE OF CAMERAS

Basically a digital camera is a deice use to capture pictures without the use of films. Unlike the conventional camera, the digital camera does not rely on mechanical and chemical processes. It has a built in computer and records the images it captures in an electronic form. Having and operating one does not even require the use of electricity.

Since the images that a digital camera captures is in electronic form, it is a language recognized by computers. This language is called pixels, tiny colored dots represented by ones and zeros that make up the picture that you just took. Just like any conventional cameras, a digital camera is furnished with a series of lenses that focus the light and creates the image that you want to capture. The difference here is then; a conventional camera focuses its light on a film while a digital camera focuses the light into a semiconductor device that electronically records the light. Remember the built in computer, it comes in here and breaks this information to digital data resulting to all the features of the digital camera.

Another feature of the digital camera is that it has a sensor that converts light into electrical charges. A charge coupled device or CCD is an image sensor that is found in a digital camera. While other low-end digital camera use complementary metal oxide semiconductor or CMOS as an image device, it can still become better and more famous in the future but most engineers are do not believe that it can replace the CCD for higher-end digital cameras.

A collection of tiny diodes, the CCD gathers electrons when they are struck by photons or the light particles. Each diode or photosite is sensitive to light, meaning that the brighter the light, the number of the electrons gathering will be larger

The price of a digital camera nowadays have been depreciating, one of the main reasons of this is because of the introduction of CMOS image sensors, this is because CMOS sensors are less expensive and are easier to manufacture than CCD sensors. A CCD and CMOS sensor works the same way at first, by converting the light electrical charges into photosites. Simply putting it, is to think that a digital camera works in such a way as thinking that the millions of tiny solar cells, each of which forms a part of the whole image. Both CCD and CMOS do this task using different methods.

When shopping for the best digital camera, take note of these key features.

Image quality. Check the resolution of the camera. The higher the resolution, the more thou will be able to enlarge your picture without the grainy or the out-of-focus effect that we all want to avoid.

Lens. Choose a digital camera with better digital zoom. The digital zoom of the camera will enable you take the pixels from the image sensor and incorporate them to make an image.
Power. Always opt for rechargeable batteries, they can always come in handy, plus you don’t waste as much money on the disposable ones.

Options. So you can brag to your friends how good a photographer or artist you are. Or choose the one that gives options that best cater to your lifestyle, so you won’t ever whine how you never get the right pictures.

Memory. If you’re a photo freak, be sure that you have enough memory in your camera to take all the wacky, freaky, funny and just about any photo you can. Think 512MB if you’re a photo junkie and takes pictures of just about anything.

Computer Interface. Always make sure that it is compatible with your PC, laptop, palmtop or whatever your local picture printer software is, you don’t want to go running around the whole state or the country looking for a computer that’s compatible with your digital camera, wont you?!

Physical. If you are going to be bringing it everywhere, choose a handy and portable digital camera. This way, it won’t always feel as heavy and bulky as those cameras that you see professional photographers are always dragging on their neck. Don’t they ever get tired of that?!

These are just the basic things you have to look for in a digital camera when you buy one. A digital camera is so great that it is quickly replacing all conventional cameras in the market, with all its technology and portability, truly the digital camera is the future of cameras.